​Royal Birkdale, for younger fans, will elicit memories of Jordan Spieth trying to get across the finish line from anywhere and everywhere on Sunday in 2017. A task that he successfully accomplished even if it took a shot from the driving range on Sunday.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementFor more seasoned golf fans, maybe they’ll remember Lee Trevino’s first of his back-to-back Open Championship wins in 1971 or the famous “concession” between Jack Nicklaus and Tony Jacklin at the 1969 Ryder Cup – which led to a 16-16 tie in the competition.It’s a venue filled with history that tends to ease you into play on the front nine, before raising the level of demands for the second nine. The fairways are rather generous and lack the undulation of other Open Championship venues but the layout creates a near infinite number of outcomes. The routing ensures that holes are being played in every direction forcing players to make constant adjustments for wind.There has been significant work done to the course since 2017 with nearly every hole being touched. The big changes come on the back with the 14th hole being completely removed, the 15th being remodeled into the 14th and a brand new 15th being constructed.The final major of the year is sure to offer a little bit of everything as Royal Birkdale never disappoints.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementWinner: Matt Fitzpatrick (+2100)Matt Fitzpatrick may very well be the player of the year thanks to his three wins and six total top-5 finishes this year. On a per round basis, he’s gaining more than 1.50 strokes which ranks him amongst the game’s elite.He’s a prolific ball-striker, beating his peers routinely both off-the-tee and with his approach play. There has only been one event in 2026 that Fitzpatrick has failed to gain strokes on approach and that was the Arnold Palmer Invitational, which was held in March.He has the best short-game on the PGA TOUR which will be valuable around the tricky greenside areas at Royal Birkdale. His Open Championship record is solid and improving – he’s made six straight cuts at this event and last year’s T4 was the best result of his career.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementWinner: Justin Thomas (+4600)On paper, Justin Thomas is the perfect Open Championship player but these championships are not played on paper. Despite being an elite iron player with magnificent hands around-the-greens, Thomas has only one Top 30 finish at this event in his career – a T11 in 2019.If there was ever a time for Thomas to put together a better result, it would be this week. He’s round into form with seven top-25 finishes in his last eight starts. He’s unlocked putting gains that have often caused him trouble in the past. He’s a multiple time major winner who is playing some of his best golf in the last few years and this price was too long to pass up.Top 5: Rory McIlroy (+310)AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementOver the last ten years, McIlroy has bee